Never Be Lonely
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: Are you staying? I'm staying forever. A fluffy end to the Fantastic 4 film. SueReed


**_Hello! This is my first Fantastic Four fic! But I'm working on a few more at the moment. It's only a one-shot, but it's based a few hours after the end of the first movie, and it's heavily Sue/Reed, because I just love the two of them together so much! They deserved a lot more screen time together, so I hope we'll get lots more in the second film!_**

**_Please review and tell me what bits you like! Thank you!_**

**_Sam _**

**_xxxxxxxx_**

Never Be Lonely

Things were silent in Reed's extended apartment. Less than two hours ago, they had managed to defeat Victor Von Doom, by turning him into the cooled metal statue that the police were currently disposing of. Reed was told that they were planning to ship it to Latveria, to keep him out of the country. They were all glad for that. None of them wanted Victor to be around them anymore, even if it was in a high security prison. He needed to be kept immobile forever.

So now, the Fantastic Four had managed to retreat back to Reed's top story apartment in the Baxter Building, managing to avoid most of the press reporters, but having to speak to the main news channels for a moment because of the magnitude of what they had just done. They were superheroes now. This had made it official, in sorts.

That was why everything was silent in the apartment. They were all in shock.

Johnny and Ben sat side by side at the kitchen table, watching curiously as Sue was sat on the kitchen worktop, her legs parted as Reed stood between them, tending to a wound beside her ear, just below her temple. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that there was more than a simple concern aimed towards the blonde woman from Reed's direction. However, his concern was simple in reasoning. Sue's last words had been just after their fight with Victor, when they had all checked that each other weren't hurt. She'd not spoken to any of the cameras, and she hadn't on their way back to the Baxter Building either. Reed had matched her silence, but only with an additional frown which had been directed at Sue. She was Sue, after all, and never had a silent opinion on anything.

The first sound in about ten minutes came from Sue, wincing as Reed applied some peroxide to the side of her head from a cloth in his hands. Instantly, he pulled the rag away. "Sorry." He mumbled, an apologetic smile on his lips. "It's going to sting."

"I guessed." She smiled back, nodding for him to carry on.

He raised the cloth again, and finished cleaning the wound. So far, Sue and Reed had been the only ones who had changed their attire. She was sat in a pair of sweat pants that Reed had lent her when they had first come to stay and a thin tank top of her own. Her hair had been brushed, with all the tangles removed from their battle. Reed was wearing a simple black t-shirt and a similar pair of jogging bottoms; navy to contrast to Sue's black ones.

Finishing up, he brought his head slightly closer to hers for a moment, and then put the cloth down on the counter beside him, tracing the edges of the wound with his fingers. "Okay, how does that feel?" He asked her softly, his voice just above a whisper.

She gave him a thankful smile. "Much better."

"Are you sure?" He asked her quietly, dropping his voice even lower as if to stop the others from hearing, but no tone of voice would go unheard in such a silence in the rest of the room. "You're really quiet."

"Yeah, I'm sure." She told him, giving him a perky nod. "I'm fine."

"Then I think we're done." He announced, willing to let it slide if she insisted, but still worried.

She continued smiling. "Thank you, Reed."

"You're welcome." He told her, raising his eyes from the shallow wound to look into her deep blue eyes.

He's always loved her eyes. There was something about them that always captivated him, making it impossible for him to look away. It was as if they held some form of magnetism, stronger than any he'd ever experimented with in his laboratory before. He'd noticed that back in their university days, where they would work together, but his mind would never be focused entirely on the chemicals and electricity in front of him. No, he was more interested in the chemistry between the two of them, even if he was too nervous to fully commit.

But now, there was another look in her eyes, matching his, so he thought. It was like she didn't want to look away either. In the past few weeks, whilst they had been experimenting with their newly found powers, eye contact had been a big no-go for them. Being alone in a room together was awkward, no matter how much they tried to tell themselves and the others that it wasn't. But it always was. The simple guilty look that passed their faces whenever they were interrupted was all that was needed to give it away. Now, however, now was different. She was gazing straight back at him, and this look in her eyes was one that he couldn't identify, but he remembered it from a long time ago, back when the important three words were easy to say, back when their biggest problems were what to have for dinner that night, and getting a thesis done on time, not any mutated abilities and Victor's interference.

"You know." Johnny spoke up, despite glares from Ben for interrupting their comfortable silence. "If he's all done, Susie, that means you can move now."

And that was it. The moment was over. Stolen away from them just as they had been starting to enjoy it past the awkwardness. Their eyes snapped away from each other, and they started to shake the feeling off of themselves. Reed stepped back, allowing space for Sue to slip off of the counter, but he still held her arms as she did so, steadying her when she reached her feet even though she didn't need him too. After that look, he just needed a moments contact with her. He needed to feel her again, and he wasn't surprised that this momentary contact wasn't enough to satisfy this need.

Sue gave him an embarrassed smile, which he instantly returned, and she went over to the seat opposite her brother, glaring at him so much, that it should have been enough to set him on fire had it not been in his ability to control this. Reed went to the end of the table, purposefully leaving a seat in between him and Sue so that they weren't going to be the subject of Johnny's teasing for the rest of the night.

"So, we just saved the world." Johnny told them, as if they might have forgotten. "The whole world loves us."

Ben glanced at Johnny strangely. "How's that any different for you?"

"It's not." He shrugged, a smug grin on his face. "But, man, the chicks are gonna love this superhero stuff."

"Perhaps this 'superhero stuff' needs sorting out." Reed suggested, getting confused looks from everyone else. "I don't mean to get rid of them, not if we're going to be able to help people, but...I think we need to re-evaluate the 'superhero' part."

They nodded in agreement, apart from Johnny, who looked like a scolded child. He didn't exactly want anyone to take his fire away completely, but he had a feeling that Reed, who always annoyingly acted like a father, would threaten him with it for the rest of their lives.

"I was thinking, we could-"

"Not now, Reed." Ben told him, cutting him off with his gruff voice. Reed looked at him, and he continued. "It's been a long day. We're all tired. I mean, look at Susie."

Sue looked up from where her head was resting on her hand. "I'm not tired." She told him.

Ben looked at her, and then returned his glance to Reed. "Look at her, Reed; she's practically the walking dead."

Reed did look at Sue, and she returned his gaze, trying to show him that she was fine, but not getting past his observant gaze. Her eyes were bright, shining as per usual, but her face was pale, and there were the beginnings of dark circles underneath her eyelids, patterning her flawless skin. Her body was slumped on the chair, and he could see that all she needed, more than anything, was a good night's sleep.

"You're right." He announced, causing Sue to roll her eyes at him. "Today's taken a lot out of all of us. We should get some sleep."

They nodded, and all got up. Some, more reluctantly that others in Sue's case. Reed went over to the kitchen counter, putting the empty mugs of tea in the sink. However, whilst Johnny disappeared straight away, calling a goodnight over his shoulder as he went, Ben and Sue hovered in the kitchen. Sue went over to Reed's side.

"I'm not tired." She insisted again, and he turned to face her.

"Sue...you need to sleep." He told her softly. "It's been a long day."

"I've had long days before." She reminded him.

He smirked. "Yeah, well, I bet this one beats the others hands down." He put his hand on her upper arm, stroking it gently, the contact alone making both of their heads spin. "Get some rest, you'll feel better."

She nodded, sighing. "Okay."

Reed smiled, leaning forwards boldly and kissing her cheek, which she didn't object to, and he was pleased to see a tiny smile on her lips afterwards. "Make sure you do, I'll come in and check that you're sleeping, okay?"

She simply laughed lightly, shaking her head as she walked out of the room. Ben raised his eyebrows. "Well." He said simply, as if he were blown away by what he had just seen, but also expecting it. Then again, he had been teasing Reed about Sue since it had been apparent that he hadn't wanted her to leave.

"What?" Reed asked innocently.

"You gonna kiss me goodnight and tuck me in as well?" Ben smirked.

Reed shook his head. "Goodnight, Ben."

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's happening with you and Sue." Ben said, grabbing Reed's arm lightly as he walked past, and sitting him back down at the table. He then took a seat opposite him.

"There's nothing going on with me and Sue." Reed insisted.

"Oh yeah?" Ben asked suspiciously. "Your eyes say differently, and so do hers."

"Our eyes don't say anything, Ben." Reed told him stupidly.

"All I'm saying, is that you shouldn't let what happened two years ago stop you from caring about her now."

"It doesn't."

Ben smiled. "So, you do care about her."

Caught out, Reed sighed, smiling. "Yeah, I care about her. I never stopped."

Ben grinned, feeling very accomplished. "Right, I'm heading to bed."

Reed nodded, calling out a goodnight to his oldest friend as he left. He stayed sitting at the table for a while, processing everything in his head about his conversation with Ben. He really did care about Sue. He'd tried to force that out of his mind for the past two years, ever since she had walked out of his door, but there was something inside of him that had kept holding on for her. There was always the part of him that had never given up on the hope that one day, she might come back to him, and forgive him for whatever mistakes he'd made to drive her away.

He'd even held on through rumours of her relationship with Victor. He hadn't believed them. He knew Sue better than that. She wouldn't have a relationship with someone just to get a job away from him. Something inside of him always fought against the possibility that Sue had been with another man, other than him, and he knew that was because something inside of him had always loved her, and he wasn't sure why. He hadn't wanted to love her, so he realised when she had left. He'd tried to tell himself that with such a passion for science, he couldn't love, and that he'd only end up hurting her more than he already had done, but when she had walked into Victor's office whilst they had been presenting there, he felt his heart shattering, just because she was in the same room as the man who could easily steal her away.

Reed knew, at that moment, seeing Victor's arm around her, that he had lost any chance with her a long time ago. Too many mistakes had caused that. Too many of his mistakes. There were no second chances when he was already exhausting his tenth. He'd never again be close enough to her to see what Victor saw every day just through working with her.

But then again, that's what he'd thought before his proposal had given them all superpowers and Victor had been reduced to a metal statue.

Then again, for all he cared about her, he knew in his heart that he didn't deserve another chance with Sue. He knew that, with all his mistakes, he never had, and never would, have another chance to put that light in her eyes. Not in this lifetime. It was selfish for him to want it as well. She didn't deserve to come second to his experiments now. She deserved happiness every second of the day, and he couldn't do that for her; he'd learnt that already.

But Sue had been the only woman he had ever been in love with. She'd shown him how easy it was to have a life as well as a brain. She was the first woman he had wanted to spend time with over doing research.

Nothing he could do would ever change the fact that he loved her.

It was almost an hour later that he finally left the kitchen. He crossed through the living room, knowing it was the quickest way to his bedroom without going through the lab. For some reason, he didn't want to go to the lab tonight. He needed a night where he wasn't reminded by the strange phenomenon that now controlled their lives. He wanted a night of peace, of normalness, and it was unlike him to admit that he would find this away from science.

He wasn't even through the doorway of the living room, however, when he had cause to stop in his tracks. He'd never been good at reacting, or improvising. He liked to be in control, to always know what was coming next. So, when he'd seen Sue, wide awake, curled around herself on the couch with only a small pillow for a cushion, he hadn't known what to do. She had no blanket covering her, and the first thing he was aware of other than her still form was the chill that was now in the air. He supposed he'd left a window open somewhere. Then again, he was always doing that. Sometimes he even went to sleep with the patio doors completely open. She was starting intently, although clearly distracted at the television on the other side of the room, even though that it was turned off. One of her arms was curled around her stomach, whilst the other was sandwiched between her head and the pillow, providing an extra inch of support for her neck.

"Sue?" He asked as he went over to the couch, crouching before her.

She looked up at him as he blocked her view of the blank screen. "Hey." She whispered.

"It's the middle of the night, Sue." He pointed out to her. "Why aren't you asleep?"

She was silent, simply holding his gaze. This wasn't like the previous look they had shared, however. This was something else. She had a longing in her eyes, not a passionate, but one for comfort. He'd seen this look before in her eyes, and he remembered it as one that had caused his own heart to hurt, because it meant that something was hurting her.

"Sue?" He asked gently, as he raised his hand and placed it on her cheek. "What's the matter?"

"It's noth-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing." He cut her off, shaking his head ever so slightly yet never losing the eye contact they maintained. "I know something's wrong, Sue."

She gave him an ironic smile. "Am I that transparent?"

He returned her smile, especially at her wording. "You are when you want to be." He told her, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he did so. "Besides, you forget how well I know you, and I know that something's wrong."

She nodded her head, sighing heavily and turning her face into the pillow beneath her slightly, before raising it again and leaning into his touch.

"You wanna tell me why you don't want to sleep?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I don't want you to worry." She told him in a whisper.

"Too late." He told her. "I was worried three hours ago when you started to get all quiet on us."

Once again, their eyes locked. A million thoughts started to run through her mind, but the main thing that presented itself was that he was worried about her. She hadn't known him to be worried about her since they broke up. Things just...died between them as soon as they parted ways. They had a few phone conversations, but it had been too uncomfortable, so they had just stopped. It had been then that she had started working for Victor, and she'd known that if he knew, he'd be heartbroken from that knowledge alone. It had been his fault though, she kept telling herself. They would have moved in together, probably gotten married and had a family together, had it not been for his commitment issues.

But there he was, at two in the morning, kneeling at her side, looking more concerned than she had ever seen him.

Of course, that probably had something to do with the fact that he knew how easy it would be to lose her now.

"Sue, you don't have to tell me what it is," He told her after a short silence, where she made no move to tell him anything, "But please, just let me help you."

She furrowed her brow slightly, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why do you want to help me?" She asked him curiously, but there was no playfulness in her voice.

"Please, Sue." He repeated, and that was enough for her. He didn't need to say the words, because his eyes said it all.

She looked away from him for a moment, biting her lip. How could she tell him this without making him worry, or without making herself sound needy and pathetic? She couldn't. He was already worried, so he had said, and she felt pathetic for feeling like this, but she couldn't stop it. As she tried to think of a way to explain her sleeplessness to him, she felt a hot prick in the corner of her eyes, and a burning sensation at the back of her throat as a lump began to rise in it. She tried to take some deep breaths, telling herself that she shouldn't cry in front of Reed. She'd look stupid, and he'd feel awkward.

However, this was far from the reality.

He saw the shimmer of unshed tears cover her eyes, and he reached out his arms. Slowly, he lifted her into a sitting position, and then he sat beside her, bringing her into his arms and holding onto her tightly. Letting him hold her, she screwed her eyes up tightly, fighting against the tears that threatened her, but then remembering what she could do to ease her embarrassment at the situation.

"Uhhh...Sue." Reed piped up suddenly, releasing his arms for a moment as he felt her move away from him, but couldn't see her. "Sue...why have you disappeared?" He asked her, unsure of where he should be looking.

Her voice came from about two feet in front of him, no longer on the couch beside him. "I don't want you to see me cry." She told him honestly.

His eyes followed her voice, but as he stood up, he heard her footsteps going further away from him. He stayed standing, looking around him, and finally locating the sound of her gentle sniffles and shaking breaths.

"Come on, Sue, you don't have to shut me out." He told her, stepping closer towards her invisible form, which had stopped retreating. "Whatever it is, I'm here okay, I'm here." He sighed, and felt suddenly drawn to a particular spot, where he realised her eyes must be. "I'm not going anywhere, not this time." Still, there was no change, and he added one more comment. "I promise, Sue. I'm not going to leave you again."

With one hard breath, she became visible again, and he could see the tear stains on her cheeks straight away. She stayed where she was, watching him cautiously, testing him to see if he really was going to stay. Her conscience was answered when he moved towards her, and, closing the gap between them, put his arms around her. Straight away, she lifted her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his shoulder as his arms tightened around her waist.

"Don't ever die, Reed." She murmured against him, and despite it being directed at his shoulder, he could still hear her clearly.

"Oh, Sue..." He sighed, knowing now what the matter was. He instantly remembered back to earlier that evening, where he had been clamped down into a chair and filled with the chemical that froze him. He'd known at the time, when Sue had been thrown to his side, and she had first seen his face since arriving there, that she was terrified at the mere sight of him. She understood science, she knew what happened when rubber was frozen, and she knew that he could have died.

"Please, Reed, don't die." She repeated, clinging tighter to him.

At this point, she finally gave into the tears that were forcing their way out. Reed moved her gently, rocking her slightly as she cried, and rubbing her back to soothe her. "It's okay." He whispered into her ear, his lips grazing her skin as he spoke. "Just let it out, Sue, let it out."

She let out all her frustration and fears against his shoulder, until she could cry no more. Then, she raised her head, lifting her face so that she could see his. He removed one hand from her back, and placed it against her cheek again. He understood everything. He understood how scared she was about losing him, because he felt the same way.

"Sue, I'm not going to die." He told her clearly.

She shook her head. "He was going to kill you."

"And as long as he didn't kill you, I would have been okay with that!" He revealed, dipping his head slightly so that they were more at level. "He taunted me with that, Sue, he knew that it would get me riled up, and it did. But you're okay, and I'm okay because of that. Yes, he might have wanted to kill me, but he didn't, and that's because of you. You were there and you stopped him. I would have been dead if it wasn't for you. You saved me, Sue."

"But...Ben..."

"You saved me in ways that Ben could never do." Reed whispered.

Understanding his meaning, Sue bowed her head, sniffling back the final tears. "Reed..." She whispered, her voice still worn and weak from the crying. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay." He replied softly. "I understand."

She shook her head. "I was being selfish. I thought I was going to lose you and I just-"

He, too, shook his head, his hand still caressing her cheek as she raised it again. "You're allowed to break down, Susie." He told her. "We all have our moments, and we all have our ways. Your way involved not sleeping, that's all."

She sighed. "I just...I can't close my eyes without seeing you like that, Reed, knowing that any longer and you'd be dying. I can't."

"I'm sorry." He told her, bringing her in closer to his arms again. "But it's going to be okay." He assured her. "I promise you, from now on, everything's going to be okay. I'm always going to be here for you, but you've got to let me help you before it gets too much."

Sue looked at him, a rush of emotions flooding through her. The way he was looking at her, the concern in his eyes, the touch of his hand upon her skin, the ever so tiny distance between them...it was all too much for her. Her brother's voice from a few days ago echoed in her mind; 'Why are you so confused, why not just jump him already?'. Of course she had scolded him at the time for that, but right then, she realised that Johnny was right, and standing so close to Reed was having a bizarre affect on her, that she hadn't felt around a man for a long time.

She leaned forwards quickly, and before either of them could realise what had happened, she was kissing him, and after a few startling moments debating whether or not he should kiss her back, Reed found that he already was. The kiss was needy, desperate even, so much unlike what the new first kiss should have been like. This was filled with lust, and was growing even more passionate by the second. Without thinking about it, they found themselves collapsing backwards, and they were once again on the couch.

Neither of them stopped to think before continuing the kiss. Reed rested atop Sue, his body hovering over hers whilst she wound both her arms and her legs around him. His hand was at her hip, caressing the bare skin that was revealed there, and she let out a moan against his mouth, whispering his name in a sultry manner between kisses.

It wasn't until her hands reached up to remove his shirt that he realised what was happening. He quickly pulled away from the kiss that he had all too willingly dived into. His body was starting to respond to eagerly to her touches, her kisses, her caresses...it wasn't supposed to be this way.

At his withdrawal, Sue went to pull him back into a kiss, but he shook his head. "No, Sue, we can't." He told her, whispering harshly because of the need for air, combining with the protests his body was making from stopping as well as her brother and his best friend being only down the hall in their temporary bedrooms.

Sue's lips went to his neck, kissing and caressing the skin. "Yes, we can." She said, as if proving how easy it was.

"No, we can't." He insisted again, even though every muscle in his body was denying that thought.

"Why not?" She asked him, still paying eager attention to his neck.

He sucked in a breath as her hands grazed across his stomach, underneath his shirt. It had been a long time since he had felt the softness of her hands. Stopping her, he cupped her face in his hands in his hands, and focused her attention away from his body.

"Because I won't take advantage of you." He told her.

She gave him a lusty grin, and smirked. "You won't be taking advantage of me." She assured him in a voice that wasn't her own.

However, he shook his head. "You don't want this, Sue. Not now." He said, still holding her face in line with his.

"I need you, Reed." She whispered.

"But not like this." He finished for her. "You're upset, you're emotional. I won't hurt you like this." He said, trying to move off of her, but she tightened her arms around his neck, holding him in place.

"You won't be hurting me." She assured him.

"So you really think that in the morning, you'll wake up, and not feel an inch of regret?" he challenged her. She stared at him for a moment, the lust leaving her eyes, and he felt the grip around his neck loosen slightly as she began to come to her senses. "Sue, I care about you, and if we go this far again, I don't want you to regret it. I'm only going to go ahead with this if I know that you're one hundred percent sure about it, and that you aren't going to regret it in the morning."

Sue started to breathe again, and she closed her eyes tightly, thinking it over. What was she doing? She scolded herself. She was going to ruin everything. She went to move, but as she did, her arm hit the remote, and the television blared into life.

"I should-" She started, but Reed shook his head.

"No, it's okay." He assured her, in a tone that suggested nothing had happened between them. "I'll do it."

As he climbed off her, she shivered, but not from the cold. Things had just come very close to being either very good, or extremely bad, and she suspected it would be the latter. She sat up on the couch, with her legs drawn up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around herself, watching as he turned the television off at the mains switches. Always Reed, making sure that everything was in order. She could still feel warmth running through her after what had just happened, and she had felt her own body responding as well as his.

"You're mad at me." She stated, looking at him.

He turned away from the now blank screen and faced her with a sigh. "I'm not mad at you, Sue. I just don't agree with this way of dealing with things."

"And what's that?"

"You don't need to sleep with me for me to be there for you, Susie." He told her gently.

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. Had that been what she was trying to accomplish? Yes, she decided instantly, yes it was. She'd needed the comfort that she'd only ever gotten from Reed, and the physical side of their complex relationship, if it could still be called that, was all she could think of. "I can't help it." She admitted.

"There are other ways." He reminded her, as he came over and sat down beside her, turning sideways so that he was facing her head on.

"I know...I just...can't help it." She repeated.

"Come here." He instructed, opening out his arms to her.

She looked hesitant for a moment, but when she realised that nothing bad could come of it, she moved into his arms. She was startled when he eased them backwards together, both lying on the couch in a cramped but comfortable way. She was securely on the inside of the couch, her back pressed against the seat cushions, whilst Reed was more hovered on the edge, holding onto her tightly because there was no other way for them both to fit on. She held on to him, placing one arm over his chest as her head fell into a familiar place between his shoulder and his neck, a grove which she had, many years ago, once marked as her own.

Reed raised one arm from her back, and stroked her loose blonde hair gently. It was no longer tangled from their battle, and it easily slipped through his fingers. "You're not alone, Sue, not when there are still people who love you."

She bit her lip. "You know, I never thought I'd say this but...thank you...for rejecting me." She said softly.

Reed gave her a reassuring smile, even though she couldn't see it, and kissed the top of her head, a sign that all was forgiven. "It's not that I don't want you, Sue. I do, and I'm pretty sure that something made that pretty clear a second ago." He felt her smirk against him, and he let out a gentle laugh himself. "I'm just not going to take advantage of you when you're upset."

"Thanks, Reed." She murmured against him.

"Just don't fight the sleep, okay?" He requested, as she shifted more comfortably against him, sighing when she found the perfect spot.

"You're staying?" She asked him hesitantly, images flashing through her head at a million times per second, but all of them replaying the images that had kept her awake in the first place.

He shuffled his arms tighter around her, and she willingly pressed closer to him. "I'm staying forever." He whispered to her.


End file.
